adeabdul2:
Infinite Love 96

OTOBO

From afar Michael and Onos watched the strange occurence unfolding before their eyes. They didn't understand it. They couldn't even hear them but something in their body lan

guages made them realise that something different, something unusual was happening between those two, especially with Dayo. He didn't have his normal stiff exterior on infact he was, kind of...enjoying himself. And Dayo never got along with other people, especially not girls.

"Hahaha" laughther floated over from Dayo and Gerry's table towards Michael and Onos.

"Was that laughter?" Onos asked.

"You heard it too?" Michael responded even more surprised.

"YES! Is Gerry laughing at something Dayo said?"

"I think they're both laughing at something he said."

"Incredible! So...Dayo can get along with girls! When did he develop this ability?"

"I think he could do it all along he just...didn't want to?"

"So, he was pretending to be a monk all these years?"

"I...think...so, maybe? I don't know."

"That monkey! I'm going to kill him!"

"HAHAHA!" their laughter interrupted them once again` and they stopped talking and continued watching the miracle in silence.

...

"Wait, so let me get this straight." Gerry was saying after Dayo had told her everything that happened at the bank and the crazy policeman in pursuit with the soldiers. "You broke every rule in the banking sector; including but not limited to: stealing passwords, hacking accounts, invasion of privacy, embezzlement of funds and broke client confidentiality in order to get that old lady her money?"

"Yeah, you forgot invasion of privacy, betrayal of trust, misrepresentation and identity theft. I did all that too, just to get her, her money."

"Wow! This old lady must have been really special." Gerry said resting her elbow on the table and cuppingh her chin in her hand, easing more into him.

"Nah, she was okay. But I think it was the despair on her that I witnessed that got into action. You should have seen her. She was utterly helpless. The way she held herself up even though her soul was distraught was...I don't know. I just had to do something."

"Wow! But what happened once it got out, what you did?"

"Well, it was scary. The real embezzlers of the funds sent soldiers and I thought I would spend the rest of my life in a soldiers cell somewhere."

"And so what happened?"

"I got help. From my my friend Michael and someone I never expected it from. I never even thought that he liked me. Black Santa Claus."

"Who?"

"My bank manager, Mr Bamidele. I always thought that he was this fat and lazy guy who got to where he was due to his connections and I always made things difficult for him, so when he helped rescued, I was shocked."

"Fantastic! Was it just him only from the bank that rescued you?"

"Yeah, just him. The rest were either too angry or too scary to help me. Which is why, helping took more guts than I thought he ever had possible in his fat erm...gut."

She laughed at this and Dayo found himself wondering how nice her laugh sounded like, how white her teeth were and the way her eyes seemed to spark behind his glasses with anticipation and delight at his story. He wished he had a longer tale to tell her, if only to keep her smiling for long.

"Okay but you realise that you can no longer work in the banking industry right?"

"Yeah and thank God! I think one of the reasons I was able to do what I did was partly because I hated my job so much. That place made me hate banking with all their haughty attitudes to the customers while after hours they are just as much lowlifes as bank robbers. Seriously, after this, I will never step into a bank ever again. I will keep all my money under a carpet."

She giggled again and Dayo was in such awe of her. Smart, curious and straight to the point. She was amazing!

"I think you're amazing! Your teeth are so white and your handwriting is impeccable! Seriously, I have never seen anyone write with so much skill and beauty in my life, and with your left hand! In pencil!"

She retracted, it felt as if his words had stung her. She was used to compliments all her suitors did it and she knew their words were of little value but coming from him, his words carried so much weight and feeling that it surprised her. She quieted down. He noticed, he never meant to make her uncomfortable he hadn't even intended to say what he had said. He was only thinking it and next minute the words were coming out of his mouth.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I said something wrong. I didn't even mean to say those words, they just came out. My friends tell me that I say the wrong things all the time. I'm sorry if I offended you."

She regarded him for a minute before continuing.

"No, it's not an offense. I was just surprised to hear you say those words. I wasn't expecting them. You didn't say anything wrong." she assured him.

"Great! So, please tell me how you got to have such a nice script."

She hesitated before she opened up. She was not used to opening up to people, not even her immediate family members but something made her feel safe with this stranger, safe enough to tell her anything.

"Well, I never really attended a school for it or anything, I just really like pencils."

"Really?"

"Yes, I love them."

"Wow. I remember getting to primary three and being superexcited about leaving pencils and sharpeners and erasers behind me." Dayo said.

"Me! See I was sad about that. I still remember that day when my mom packed my school bag and wanted to leave out the pencils. I protested! Until she gave them to me. She was convinced that I would get over once I got to school but I didn't."

"I refused to use pens for a long time and even then I was very particular about the pen."

"Buy why pencils? They're such a hassle. They break and you would have to sharpen them and so on and so on."

"I never cared about that. I don't mind the sharpenings. I just prefered pencils because they always seemed to make my handwriting look nice. Almost all pencils make my writing look nice but many pens have ink problems or they are too drippy or something."

"Oh I see."

"Yeah, but everyone was made at me. My mom didn't enjoy the complaints from the school. My father thought I was an unnecessary embarrasment and the school thought I was just being too stubborn. Only my grandmother, Lawlaw Adinoe our family's matriarch, who listened to me and intervened. She got my father to negotiate with the school to let me use pencils for all my classwork but for exams I always used pens."

"Nice. Your grandmother sounds great. Is she at this party?"

"No, she died...about eight years ago."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Were you to close?"

"Yeah, we were very close. She was the only one who made me feel like I was really a part of this family. She made me feel like I mattered. This family was bearable because of her. It was her who encouraged me to do whatever I set my mind on. She was the one who first encouraged me in designing greeting cards for money after I made one for her. Because of her I was able to get card designing gigs and I was able to make some money from designing elaborate cards back then. She was the one I went to when I wanted a job during our school strikes or holidays. She got my father to get me a job right here at The Evergreen Ruby back then."

"You used to work here? As what?" Dayo asked.

"I used to work at the front desk. My father thought I was just being another complete waste of his time but I was proud to be working and I even enjoyed it for a while."

"Nice! But now you're a journalist for the BBC. Did your father help you get that job too?"

"No, I got that myself. I was contacted by the BBC after I wrote a news article about Etairoke a riverine community here in Yenagoa. Etairoke has become under attack by the state government because it is a shanty town, made mostly by wooden shacks contructed directed above water. The government tried to demolish it many times in order to build a more modern real estate at the seaside. But if they had then the occupants would have no place to go. So I wrote about it and dilemma of the people of Etairoke. It was picked by the BBC and it became a quite a thing. Long story short, I was able to help stop their evacuation at the time."

"That's great!"

"Thanks, Law law was so proud of me but my dad..still considered it all a waste of my time."

"I'm sorry about that."

"No, it's fine. It's not your fault. All my father ever considered me to be was a waste of time. He had two wives and thirteen children. The boys he adored but us girls were meant to listen and be quiet. He didn't understand why I was doing all that I was doing when I was eventually going to be married off. Law law made it bearable being a member of this family but after she died, then it all became so tiresome. My father restricted my movement and all he ever did was talk to me whenever he found a suitor for me. To him, my entire worth was just to help him acquire more wealth and status by being married into another wealthy family and I never had a say about it. It never mattered the source of wealth, embezzlement of public funds, fraud, or even outright kidnapping. I was for a time resolved to being married off when they got me my first suitor, but after I realised that I could never live that life they were marrying me into. I called it off and the idiots haven't stopped coming ever since. I have rejected proposals after proposals but the men for some reason, just keep coming. Even the worst ones. I can't ge trapped in this life. I would run away but I don't have that kind of courage yet."

She sighed and in that moment Dayo felt for her and without even thinking about it he reached out and touched her shoulder, but her reaction surprised him. She jerked it off.

She was alarmed "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"Oh sorry I just...wanted to comfort you."

"AND WHO ASKED YOU TO DO THAT? I DIDN' ASK YOU TO DO THAT!"

"I ...er I know I just thought you needed it."

"This was a mistake. I asked you to leave me alone earlier, so please go. Go away!" she said alarmed and he was totally confused but she looked over his shoulder and saw someone.

"OH NO!" she sank into her chair. "Hey, quickly before he sees you, quickly walk away."

"Who?" he said looking around.

"Don't look! Are you insane? It's my last fiance!" she whispered heavily "OTOBO IS HERE!"

"Oh, but that's not an issue. You guys broke up. It's over right?"

"Yes but not for him. He has threatened to kill any man that comes near me."

Dayo laughed "It's fine. That's just things some people say when they break up! Am sure he would have calmed down by now."

She looked at him curiously and asked "Do you even know who Otobo is?"

"No. But I'm assuming that he is another one of those rich businessmen that your father for you."

"Otobo is the current Leader of The Niger Delta Militants."

"Um...what did you say?"

"Fifteen white men were kidnapped from an Exxon Mobil oil rig last month and he demanded one billion for their release."

"Ehn?"

"Exxon Mobil contacted the Federal Government for help with their rescue and...the Government told them to pay him."

"What..?"

"Soldiers can't beat militants in their creeks."

"Oh!"
"Now, do you still think that kind of person would have calmed down by now?" She asked as he slowly got up getting ready to dash out of Bayelsa state when he saw someone coming towards their direction surrounded by what could only be called guards. He prayed fervently against all for him to be anyone else except him when he heard...

"Major Otobo. Long may you reign!" And the angry looking man coming towards him raised his right hand in salute without looking away but dead straight ahead towards him.

"Oh God! Otobo!" He said peeing his pant a little, but he was still coming.